Memorable quotations from episodes or graphic novels can make articles more dynamic and lend support to body text and notes. The following are some basic guidelines to follow when using quotations in articles.

Adding Quotes

Layout

There are two ways to add quotes to an article. Multiple quotes should be added to a Memorable Quotes section. The section should appear at the end of an article's body, before any Notes, Trivia, See Also, or External Links sections. For more on the proper placement of article sections, see here.

Alternately, a single quote can be added to the body of an article using the Quote template. The Quote template formats a quote like a right- or left-aligned image so that the body text of an article flows around it. For more on using the Quote template, see its Usage notes.

Citations

Quotations should always contain a citation to the specific episode or graphic novel from which they are derived whenever they are included on an article other than that episode or graphic novel. Citations should appear in italics and in parentheses and should link to the appropriate article.

For quotes from episodes, the easiest way to produce a citation is using the {{epp}} template. Inside double braces, simply type epp, a pipe, and the three-digit episode number. For example, typing {{epp|101}} yields (Genesis).

To manually format a citation to an episode or a graphic novel, enclose the entire citation in double apostrophes. Add parentheses and a link to the appropriate article (using double brackets). Add a pipe character before the closing brackets to automatically strip the namespace.

Formatting

One Speaker quotes

One-speaker quotes should be enclosed in double quotations marks and italicized. The speaker should be placed on the next line, indented and preceded by a dash. If necessary, the person to whom the speaker is speaking should be placed in parentheses, and if necessary, a citation to the appropriate episode or graphic novel should follow, also in parentheses. (It is not necessary to include a citation when a quotation appears on the article for the episode or graphic novel from which it is derived). Remember to add any relevant links.

Any deviations from the actual quotation should be noted in single brackets, including changes in capitalization. Any errors in printed original quotations (such as those from graphic novels) should be preserved, and should be followed with the word "sic", in italics and also in single brackets. Omitted text should be noted with ellipses.

Source says...

Quote should read...

"Next thing you know, she's going to be telling us she's a crackwhore."

"Next thing you know, [mom]'s going to be telling us she's a crackwhore."

We met Hana Gitelman, an Israeli Mosad Operative whose Mother and Grandmother were killed in the same suicide attack.

"We met Hana Gitelman, an Israeli Mosad [sic] Operative..."

Remember to manually break lines between quotes; otherwise, the Wiki software will wrap the line up to the end of the previous line. To manually break lines between quotes, insert two blank lines after a quote (in other words, three line breaks: one at the end of the line to break the line, and two more to add two lines of whitespace between the quotes). If it is necessary to break lines within a quote, insert a blank line (in other words, two line breaks: one at the end of the line, and a second to add one line of whitespace). Note that it is not necessary to add a manual line break between the last line of the quote and the speaker. For examples of adding manual line breaks, see below.

Dialog

Dialog should be formatted similarly to single-speaker quotes, with the following changes: each time the speaker changes, manually break the line. Enclose each statement in its own set of double quotation marks. After the last line, attribute the quote to each speaker in the order in which they speak, separated by a comma. Add a citation if necessary.

Remember to manually break lines after each speaker, and also between quotes; otherwise, the Wiki software will wrap the line up to the end of the previous line. To manually break lines, enter two blank lines between quotes, and a single blank line between lines by different speakers. Note that it is not necessary to add a manual line break between the last line of dialog and the speakers.

Verifying Quotes

Memorable quotes are quotations, not paraphrases. It's important that information attributed to a speaker in a quotation be exact. Be sure to double-check the accuracy of quotations before adding them to an article. Don't rely on memory alone; when possible, consult the episode again or check a transcript. Recent episodes can be viewed online at NBC.com, while transcripts of earlier episodes are available here.

Quote Guidelines

Basic Guidelines

No more than four quotes per article.

No more than four lines per quote.

Quote itself should be memorable--not just the scene from which it comes.

Quote should be specifically relevant to the article.

Quote should provide its own context. Would a reader who hasn't seen the episode understand the quote?

Quote should stand on its own. Actions or events shouldn't need to be described.

To prevent quotes from overwhelming substantive portions of articles, it's important that they be carefully selected. Be mindful of both quantity and quality.

Quantity

Adding too many quotes to an article decreases their impact and interrupts the flow of the article. In general, articles should have no more than four quotes. Overlong quotes are also less poignant than shorter, pithier quotes, and can make an article seem dense. Typically, quotations should be no longer than four lines. Shorter quotes generally have more punch than longer quotes, but be sure that the quote is long enough to provide any necessary context.

Quality

To be effective, quotations need to be specifically relevant to the article on which they appear. They also must be memorable in and of themselves--that is, the words themselves should be striking and illuminating. A great scene doesn't necessarily yield a great quote.

Specific relevance

When selecting quotations, look for quotes which provide specific insight into the applicable article. Quotes for character pages should give some insight into that character's personality or beliefs. Quotes for powers should explain how the power works or how the character feels about the power. Quotes for episodes should relate to the recurring themes of the episode, major elements of the episode's plot, the significance of the episode's title, and the like.

A great line might not necessarily be a relevant quote on a particular article. If there's a line you find particularly impressive, decide what it best relates to when selecting the appropriate article to add it to. Is the character talking about a power? An item? An event? Does the quote provide insight into the character's thought or feelings? Analyzing the purpose of the quote will usually reveal how it can best be used.

Memorability and context

A great quote should be able to stand on its own. Assume a reader has never seen the episode or read the graphic novel from which the quote is derived: would they have enough information to understand the quote? Would they still find it memorable?

Be particularly careful with lines characters deliver during climactic scenes. Is it the quote that's memorable, or the actions which it accompanied? A run-of-the-mill line delivered at a memorable time doesn't make a great quote for someone who hasn't seen the episode or read the novel. Similarly, even a great line at a great time can make a poor quote if the reader doesn't have enough context to understand why the line is memorable.

Sound effects, actions, and stage directions

High-quality quotes should be able to stand on their own as words. If a character's nonverbal actions are important to making a quote memorable, then it's probably a memorable scene rather than a memorable quote. Avoid quotations which require the description of a character's actions or surroundings, or of other events. The strength of quotations should be in the words said, not in the visuals of the scene from which they are derived.

The Memorable Quotes article provides a place to add quotations that either aren't particularly illustrative of any other article's subject or which would be excess on their relevant article. The Memorable Quotes article is sorted by character. Be sure to provide a citation to the appropriate episode or graphic novel.